Success Stories
Records Expungement Helped Me to Change My Life
By Gavin Montague, former client From 2009-2015, I was arrested and convicted of more than six cases, including possession of drugs, drug paraphernalia, and even sales of drugs. I was [Continue Reading]
Defending a Victim of ID Theft and Fraud
By Andrew Deeley, Supervising Attorney, Consumer Defense Unit Approximately 11 years ago our client Becky (fictitious name) was a victim domestic violence. Her former boyfriend, Sam (fictitious name), was verbally abusive, [Continue Reading]
From the Family Law Unit Case Files…
The client, Linda Lopez (fictitious name), is a monolingual Spanish speaker who did everything she could to do right by her five minor children. Deciding that she and her children [Continue Reading]
Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence, four vignettes of successful advocacy
By Roxanne Hernandez, Staff Attorney, Family Law Unit In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month... #1 My client Gustavo (fictitious name) had enough of the physical abuse perpetrated by his [Continue Reading]
Citizenship for Disabled Former Foster Care Youth
By Sarah Yanez, Senior Attorney, Immigration Unit Our client, Roberta (fictitious name), is a disabled former foster care youth. She needed our assistance with her naturalization application. Her case was [Continue Reading]
Against the Odds: Overturning a Disability Denial
By Eric Michael, Supervising Attorney, Public Benefits Unit In terms of public benefits advocacy, the statistically rarest form of victory is when the Social Security Administration’s (“SSA”) Appeals Council overturns [Continue Reading]
Clearing the Path to Accessing Critical Testing for Child with Rare Genetic Disorder
By Joan Chang, Senior Attorney, Community Legal Aid SoCal Health Unit My client is a nine-year-old child, Jackie (fictitious name), who suffers from Periodic Fever syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. [Continue Reading]
Success!
A story from the Housing Unit -- Frances (fictitious name), a woman in her 50s, was living alone on a Section 8 voucher in an apartment in Orange County when [Continue Reading]
Settlement Agreement Leads to New Policy for Administering General Relief Benefits That Expands Access for Vulnerable Immigrants in Orange County
Orange County, CA, May 31, 2023 – Community Legal Aid SoCal (CLA SoCal) and the Public Interest Law Project (PILP), on behalf of their client, have reached an amicable settlement [Continue Reading]
California Court of Appeal Unanimously Affirms $3.5M Attorneys’ Fees Award for Kennedy Commission in Huntington Beach Affordable Housing Lawsuit
Huntington Beach, May 11, 2023 – Today the California Court of Appeal unanimously affirmed the $3.5 million attorneys’ fees award to Kennedy Commission for its advocacy in a years-long legal [Continue Reading]
A Senior Caught in the Downside of a Growing Trend
By Sandy Skahen, Staff Attorney, Seniors Unit When I met our client Bonnie (fictitious name), a widowed senior living in Orange County, she had stopped eating, was not sleeping, [Continue Reading]
Direct Service Leads to Systemic Advocacy
By Joan Chang, Senior Staff Attorney, Health Unit Our aim in the CLA SoCal Health Unit is to assist Orange County residents and families to get the health care services [Continue Reading]
